https://arab.news/vqsxp
Israel’s war on Palestinians, which has focused on the genocide in Gaza for almost two years, has also inevitably been escalating in the West Bank. Be in no doubt that, including Jerusalem, this is for the “Greater Israel” fanatics, the radioactive core of the conflict. Gaza is designated for destruction and has no biblical resonance.
This is why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pressing ahead with the E1 settlement plan will be the sweetest music to the ears of their base. For around three decades since the days of Yitzhak Rabin, this plan has been their fervent dream, perhaps only bettered for some by visions of replacing Al-Aqsa with a rebuilt Jewish temple.
The E1 project has always run into determined international opposition, including from the US. President George W. Bush forced Ariel Sharon to ditch the plan and Barack Obama did the same with Netanyahu in 2012. E1 was postponed but, crucially, never canceled.
Why now? Above all, the major international powers have shown utter spinelessness in failing to prevent the genocide in Gaza, so Israeli ministers see no obstacle to going ahead. What will the Europeans do? The Trump administration is settler-friendly and raises zero objections. Worse, a US State Department spokesperson argued that E1 would help the situation, saying: “A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region.”
